Chapter 20

           AsthehotnoisydaysofAugustweredrawingtoaclosethebombardmentabruptlyceased.Thequietthatfellonthetownwasstartling.Neighborsmetonthestreetsandstaredatoneanother,uncertain,uneasy,astowhatmightbeimpending.Thestillness,afterthescreamingdays,broughtnosurceasetostrainednervesbut,ifpossible,madethestrainevenworse.NooneknewwhytheYankeebatteriesweresilent;therewasnonewsofthetroopsexceptthattheyhadbeenwithdrawninlargenumbersfromthebreastworksaboutthetownandhadmarchedofftowardthesouthtodefendtherailroad.Nooneknewwherethefightingwas,ifindeedtherewasanyfighting,orhowthebattlewasgoingiftherewasabattle.

           Nowadaystheonlynewswasthatwhichpassedfrommouthtomouth.Shortofpaper,shortofink,shortofmen,thenewspapershadsuspendedpublicationafterthesiegebegan,andthewildestrumorsappearedfromnowhereandsweptthroughthetown.Now,intheanxiousquiet,crowdsstormedGeneralHood’sheadquartersdemandinginformation,crowdsmassedaboutthetelegraphofficeandthedepothopingfortidings,goodtidings,foreveryonehopedthatthesilenceofSherman’scannonmeantthattheYankeeswereinfullretreatandtheConfederateschasingthembackuptheroadtoDalton.Butnonewscame.Thetelegraphwireswerestill,notrainscameinontheoneremainingrailroadfromthesouthandthemailservicewasbroken.

Настройки
Фон страницы
Размер шрифта
Межстрочный интервал
Фразовые глаголы
Показать / Скрыть меню
Шрифт
Roboto Lora
Уведомления
Страница 477 из 1537